PHILO PHOTO: Brenton Tarrant, accused of murder in connection with mosque attacks, is seen in the dock during his performance in Christchurch District Court, New Zealand March 16, 2019. Mark Mitchell / New Zealand Herald / Pool via REUTERS
SYDNEY (Reuters) – The suspected white supremacist who killed 51 Muslim traitors last year, a massacre that called for a worldwide campaign to spread online hate, arrived in Christchurch on Sunday before sentencing.
Brenton Tarrant took off a New Zealand plane at Christchurch Airport on Sunday afternoon, wearing a protective vest and helmet and escorted by armed officers, before being aimed at the back of a white van, television shows.
He has pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act.
Tarrant was transported to Christchurch, the city where the shooting took place, from the Auckland Prison near Paremoremo, the New Zealand Herald reported.
A court in Christchurch will begin on Monday with multi-day sentencing, where survivors of the attack and family members of the murdered persons will provide testimony for victims.
Tarrant, an Australian, will be convicted after being allowed to make a statement.
Murder suspects carry a mandatory sense of life in prison. The judge can impose a life sentence without the possibility of release, a sentence that has never been used in New Zealand.
A police spokeswoman declined to comment on Tarrant’s moves, with Reuters referring to the country’s Department of Corrections. A spokeswoman there declined to comment, citing “the interests of public safety and operational security”.
Report by Paulina Duran in Sydney; Edited by Jonathan Barrett and William Mallard
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